Field
The present invention relates to wireless communication, more specifically, an apparatus and a method for performing measurement reporting considering in-device coexistence interference.
Discussion of the Background
In general, a wireless communication system occupies a frequency range consisting of single bandwidth. For example, the 2nd generation wireless communication system uses frequency bandwidth ranging from 200 KHz to 1.25 MHz and the 3rd wireless communication system uses bandwidth ranging from 5 MHz to 10 MHz. To support increasing transmission capacity, the recent 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) or the IEEE 802.16m is expanding the bandwidth up to 20 MHz or beyond. Extending bandwidth is necessary to accommodate increasing transmission capacity; however, maintaining large bandwidth may cause considerable power consumption in a case where quality of service required is low.
Therefore, multiple component carrier systems are now emerging, which define a carrier wave with a frequency spectrum consisting of single bandwidth and a center frequency and are capable of transmitting and/or receiving broadband data through a plurality of carrier waves. That is, by using one or more carrier waves, frequency spectrums of narrow and broad bandwidth are supported at the same time. For example, if one carrier wave corresponds to bandwidth of 5 MHz, bandwidth up to 20 MHz can be supported by using four carrier waves.
Due to ubiquitous access network nowadays, users at different places can access networks different from one another and maintain connectivity continuously regardless of their current locations. In the conventional situation where a user equipment performs communication only with a single network, a user used to carry separate devices supporting the respective network systems. However, as functions provided by a single user equipment become more advanced and complicated, user equipments of today are capable of performing communication with a plurality of networks at the same time, thereby increasing user convenience.
However, if a user equipment performs communication simultaneously across frequency bands of a plurality of network systems, in-device coexistence interference may occur. The in-device coexistence interference refers to the phenomenon where transmission through some frequency band causes interference in receiving data through a different frequency band. For example, if a user equipment supports both the Bluetooth and the LTE system, the in-device coexistence interference may occur in the corresponding frequency bands of the Bluetooth and the LTE system. The in-device coexistence interference often occurs when spacing between boundaries of frequency bands of different network systems is not sufficiently secured.
However, wireless communication systems of today do not support a specific means for coordinating in-device coexistence interference. In other words, a specific means for solving in-device coexistence interference between a user equipment and an eNB has not been established yet; thus, a specific operating procedure for solving the interference problem is needed.